In Preparation: All Saints’ Day 2018

Greetings in Christ,

This weekend we remember those who have gone before us to their rest with Christ. It’s a day of grief, but we do not grieve without hope. A tear may come to our eye as we remember those we miss, and yet it’s a day to find true peace and rest in the promises of Christ!

A saint is anyone who is in Christ. The word “saint” comes from the Latin word for holy (Sanctus). We are made holy by Christ’s washing and Word. There is no tier system for Christians. We are all saints. This weekend we remember the saints that are at rest and we remember Christ’s promise that they, and we, will be together in the resurrection.

Our Christian hope is not that we will die and go to heaven, but that we will rise again on the last day!

As you prepare for the Divine Service this weekend, you can take a look at the Service Folder to find the readings, prayers, and other parts of the service that will help to guide your reflection and prayer.

Here’s the Lectionary Summary for the upcoming weekend that ties the themes of the weekend together:

Saints Are Blessed in the Eternal Presence of Christ

“A great multitude … from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,” cry out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne” (Rev. 7:9–17). Faith-filled saints from every place and time, with unified voices, eternally magnify the Lamb of God. As His beloved children, we, too, “shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1–3). Joined with the throng of angels and myriad saints, we shall “serve him day and night in his temple” (Rev. 7:9–17). In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, sacred and profane, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure and the persecuted are all blessed, and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:1–12).

If you weren’t able to join us for service last week, you can catch up now.